Premi¿¿re: Music from Brittany

by Kornog

Overview

Maybe you don't think of France as a hotbed of Celtic culture. And for the most part, you're right. But Brittany, a region in the west of France, is actually home to an entire Celtic subculture with its own very ancient language and a musical tradition that comes partly from eastern Europe and partly from the same sources as the Gaelic music of Ireland and Scotland. Kornog is a Breton group that was founded by a bouzouki-playing Scots emigre named Jamie McMenemy; the Breton members of the group play fiddle, guitar, and flute. This album is taken from a concert the group played in Minneapolis in 1983, and it's a marvelous recording. Jean-Michel Veillon plays flute and Christian Lemaitre plays fiddle in a style that would fit perfectly in an Irish pub session, but the tunes they play -- with names like "Gwerz Ar Marc'Hadourig Bihan" and "Dans Loudieg" -- have a rhythmic intricacy and a modal edge that set them apart from the Gaelic traditions of Celtic music. "Dans an Dro" includes some lovely interplay between McMenemy's bouzouki and Soig Siberil's guitar; and "Laride/An Dro" incorporates the bombarde, a reed instrument that plays a central role in Breton music. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	01/05/1993
Label:	Green Linnet
UPC:	0048248105521
Rank:	96746

Tracks

1. Dans Loudieg
2. The Demon Lover
3. Ton Bale/Son Ar Rost
4. Dans an Dro
5. Jesuitmont
6. Ton Bale Mur Ha Dans
7. Gwerz Ar Marc'hadourig Bihan/Autrefois Disait un Guerrier/Ton D¿¿rob¿¿e
8. Bonnie Jean Cameron
9. Larid¿¿/An Dro
10. War Hent Kerrigouarch/Sherrife Muir

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kornog   Primary Artist
Soig Siberil   Vocals,Guitar
Jamie McMenemy   Vocals,Bouzouki,Mandolin
Christian Lemaitre   Vocals,Guitar,Fiddle
Jean-Michel Veillon   Whistle (Instrument),Low Whistle,Flute,Vocals,Bombard

Technical Credits

Soig Siberil   Arranger,Composer
Jamie McMenemy   Arranger,Composer,Liner Notes
Steve Gronback   Production Assistant,Assistant Producer,Engineer
Traditional   Composer
Wendy Newton   Supervisor,Management
Don Nichols   Engineer
Herri Leon   Composer
Carla Frey   Design
Robert Burns   Composer
Christian Lemaitre   Arranger
Jean-Michel Veillon   Composer,Arranger